No Question About That - a Manchester United podcast

#1045 | Ed and Dharnish discuss United’s 3-2 defeat to Brighton in the Carabao Cup. United’s heavily rotated side led 2-0 before collapsing, with an increasingly ugly atmosphere at Old Trafford on display.

Shea Lacey's goal and a well-worked press that teed up Mount for the second were the rare bright spots in an otherwise chaotic performance from United.

There’s already a bigger question: are United’s results this season down to bad individual performances, or something wrong with Carrick's actual game model? There’s no easy answer, especially given how comfortably this same group won games last season doing something much simpler.

There's also a discussion of the JJ Gabriel contract saga, with both urging caution about how much scrutiny a 15-year-old should be under. But scepticism that his camp's version of events reflects what United would realistically have offered. They close by previewing Fulham this weekend.

0:00 Introduction: 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton
1:31 Reaction: anger at Old Trafford
4:13 Positives: Shea Lacey
7:00 Yoro and Heaven
12:16 Midfield, Mount and Sesko's night
20:19 Is something fundamentally wrong with Carrick's game model?
31:55 JJ Gabriel contract saga
48:02 Fulham preview
55:30 Wrap

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#1044 | Daniel and Dharnish review United’s 0-1 defeat at home to Man City. City were down to 10 men for most of the second half after Foden's red card. The goal itself should have been ruled out: Enzo Fernandez was offside and interfering with Martinez in the build-up. VAR waved it all through.

United had spells of real control, especially with the extra man, but rarely looked like scoring without Sesko on the pitch as an actual centre-forward.

The biggest frustration is Carrick's team selection: leaving Sesko out for tactical reasons left nobody occupying the box. Taking Tielemans off after the goal made things worse by removing United's only real tempo-setter.

There's a more uncomfortable argument too: that Maguire and Martinez's lack of pace makes Carrick's front-foot style impossible. One of Yoro or Heaven has to take over.

Finally, a look ahead to Brighton in the League Cup and Fulham before the international break.

0:27 Intro: United 0-1 City

1:40 Team selection

5:46 Carrick's tactics: clogged middle, forced wide

24:01 VAR decision: goal that wasn't

40:51 Maguire, Martinez, Yoro and Heaven

47:07 Looking ahead: Brighton and Fulham

51:35 Wrap

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1043 | The transfer window smashed Premier League spending records. The real story is how incestuous it all was: clubs buying from each other, squeezed by the same rules and looking to square their own books. United funded their window through a revolving credit facility and not player sales. They sold precisely nobody all summer.

Ed and Jamie dig into why, including a wage bill that is about to jump with three new signings, Rashford’s return and Champions League bonuses.

Then a full tour of the league's finances: City and Chelsea both bankrolled by relentless trading, Villa turning their squad over for a tidy profit, Everton and Crystal Palace both looking primed for a sale and Spurs spending like a club that's given up on ever being bought.

The pod closes on the outlook: United's transfer debt clears over the next 12 months, creating real flexibility next summer, just as Maguire, Shaw and a stack of big contracts come up for renewal.

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0:28 Intro
2:29 Transfer market: money cycling in the Premier League
5:57 How United funded the window
8:48 United's wage bill
11:39 Why United didn't sell
15:11 Manchester City
16:05 Chelsea's player trading machine
20:58 Aston Villa
24:08 Everton
27:35 Crystal Palace
29:09 Spurs' spending spree
33:45 Liverpool
37:08 Looking ahead to next season
43:00 Wrap-up

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1042 | Ed and Tom discuss United's return to the Champions League, which was a comfortable 4-0 win over Sabah, with the game effectively dead by half-time. It was about all we could ask from an opener like this. Sesko and Dorgu both impressed in changed roles up front and at left-back, reopening the debate over their role in the team.

Mainoo and Tielemans continue to look like United's best midfield pairing, with Tielemans's passing already taking pressure off Bruno and Mainoo demonstrating his all round game.

There's also a word for the youth team's own win and 15-year-old JJ Gabriel's UEFA Youth League debut hat-trick.

The pod closes by previewing a much tougher test: Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

0:28 Introduction
1:58 United 4-0 Sabah: the verdict
6:14 Team selection
11:19 Left-back debate: Dorgu vs Shaw
16:21 Cunha, the front line and Carrick's system
23:47 Midfield: Mainoo and Tielemans
42:49 Youth team victory
45:40 Manchester City preview

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1041 | Ed and Dharnish dig into United’s draw with Everton. The buildup through Mainoo and Tielemans was as good as it's looked in years but Carrick’s side lacked any real box presence, with Cunha and Bruno both dropping deep.

Defensively, United's press still isn't working, and disconnected lines left gaps that led directly to both Everton goals.

How can Carrick fit all his in-form attackers together without sacrificing the buildup that's making United so watchable?

Then there’s a preview of a huge week ahead: the Champions League opener against Sabah, then City at Old Trafford, where sitting deeper and playing on the counter looks like the best plan.

0:00 Intro: Everton 2-2 United
2:07 Buildup and central progression
5:10 Box presence and the final third
8:01 Picking the best XI
11:59 Pressing problem
15:39 Goals conceded and game management
19:02 Substitutions and Carrick's decisions
21:51 Champions League draw and the derby

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If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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